1. Field of the Invention
100021 The present invention relates to a control of an automatic transmission equipped with a forward/backward changeover mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automatic vehicle transmission is equipped with a forward/backward changeover mechanism for switching the traveling direction according to the operation of a range selector lever. The forward/backward changeover mechanism engages a forward clutch in a forward range and engages a backward clutch in a reverse range. To prevent an abrupt reduction in speed when the range selector lever is erroneously switched to the reverse range during traveling in the forward range, a known technique, according to which the backward clutch is disengaged and when the vehicle speed has been reduced to a safe speed level is then engaged; is available.